Photo Challenge, Day 9: Larry the Mouse

Day 9: Larry the Mouse

I’ve lived in my apartment for 3 ½ years. At first, it felt claustrophobically small compared to the spacious two-bedroom I shared with my former roommate, but over time I’ve grown very fond of it. It’s got character – high ceilings, narrow doorways, a faux fireplace, and stained-glass windows. It’s also old. And you know what else tends to live in old buildings? Rodents. They say you learn a lot about yourself when you live alone. I’ve learned that while I’d like to think of myself as an independent woman who can fend for herself, I continue to experience paralyzing fear at the thought of touching a mouse. I’ve been aware that I share my dwellings with mice for quite some time now. On the odd occasion, I’ll glimpse one scurry along the wall in my kitchen. One morning as I went to make breakfast, I noticed a huge chunk missing out of an avocado sitting in a bowl on my counter. That was the end of leaving food in a bowl on the counter. It was inevitable that one day I would have to face the mouse head-on. Well, today was that day. I came home to little Larry (that’s my name for all of them), sitting near my garbage can. At first I thought he was dead. I made loud noises to see if he’d react – he did. Slowly, helplessly, he tried to lift his head and move, but he was stuck. Poisoned by one of my less rodent-tolerable neighbours. I felt his pain – I, too, was stuck. How to deal with this horrible predicament? I sent a frantic text to my friend, with whom I’d been discussing my mouse woes just hours before. Of course, that did nothing to solve my problem. Thinking more strategically, I called my landlord to come remove Larry from the premises. Thankfully, he lives in my building and arrived at my door in mere moments. He scooped little Larry up in a plastic bag and I bid him adieu by doing a happy dance in my living room. Here’s hoping Larry’s brothers and sisters find a more private location to meet their tragic ends.